Filled with case studies, photographs and examples of children's work, this book sets out the most effective approaches to spelling and provides teachers with a broad set of principles on which to base their teaching. It is useful for any teacher or trainee teacher wishing to raise standards in spelling in their classroom.

How do children learn to spell and what kinds of teaching support them most effectively? Based on a three-year longitudinal study of children's spelling in different primary classrooms, Olivia O'Sullivan, Assistant Director of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and Anne Thomas, the former Inset Director of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, pose a number of important questions: What kinds of knowledge are involved in spelling? What are the links between learning to read and learning to spell? What kinds of systematic teaching and interventions make a difference to children's progress? Packed with case studies, photographs and examples of children's work, this unique book sets out the most effective approaches to spelling and provides teachers with a broad set of principles on which to base their teaching. This is an invaluable resource for any teacher or trainee teacher wishing to raise standards in spelling in their classroom.

Introduction
This discusses the educational context of the research and research methods. There is discussion of how the case study data was collected and analysed.
Chapter 1
Learning and teaching spelling
This chapter briefly sets the scene for the book by introducing a range of young writers and spellers at different ages and the issues they raise for teachers and teaching. The chapter discussed issues and questions for schools and teachers about their approaches to teaching spelling.
Chapter 2
Understanding spelling
This is the first of the two major theoretical chapters in the book. The chapter discusses the nature of spelling in English. It also reviews the major debates and theoretical approaches to the teaching and learning and spelling since approximately the 1950s to the present. This review is necessary and relevant as many of the ideas are still current today in various forms. There is a major exploration of one of the current issues -- the relationship between reading and spelling. This is particularly relevant in view of all the current debates about phonics teaching.
Chapter 3
Learning to spell: stages of development or multiple sources of knowledge?
This is the second theoretical chapter. It examines the range of competences children acquire and require as spellers, drawing on the arguments of the previous chapter, but this time relates them to the case studies and observations of classrooms from the project. These practical examples illustrate the theoretical points. The chapter ends with summary of the competences required for becoming an effective speller.
Chapter 4
The case studies
The case studies include examples, analyses and written commentaries over a three year period. The commentaries include recommended teaching approaches.
Part one: children who made good progress as spellers
There are three case studies in this section: two case studies of young children who take different routes into learning to spell and a case study of an extremely competent 8 year old speller.
Part two: Children in Key Stage 2 with spelling difficulties
There are three case studies in this section: two case studies of children who are competent readers, but who have different degrees of difficulty with spelling
one case study of a child who has severe difficulties with both read and spelling.
Chapter 5
The effective teaching of spelling
This section summarises the most effective approaches to teaching spelling observed during the project. Firstly there is discussion of the teaching of spelling in relation to many different aspects of literacy teaching in different classroom contexts, and discussion of the role of the teacher.
Secondly, teaching approaches are then summarised in 8 double pages spreads (4 for each Key Stage) which set out teaching approaches including teaching spelling through shared writing, links to handwriting, and specific activities linked to different aspects of spelling.
Chapter 6
Monitoring Spelling
This chapter discusses ways in which teachers can monitor children's progress as spellers. There is a Spelling Assessment Framework, developed during the project, and the CLPE Writing Scales. There are exemplary analyses of piece of writing from two children.
Chapter 7
General conclusions and recommendations
This chapter presents the key findings of the project and the book's main conclusions.